Draw-bar platform for railway-cars



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

T. L. MGKEEN.

DRAW BAR PLATFORM FOR RAILWAY GARS.

No.r 594,891.

Patented Deo. 7, 1897.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.-

T. L. MGKBBN. DRAW BAR PLATFORM FOR RAILWAY GARS.

Patented Dec. 7,1897.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. L. MOKEEN. DRAW RAR PLATFORM PoR RAILWAY GARS.

10.594,891. Patented 1360.7,.1897.

Nrrn raras i ArtNr stica.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOTI-IE TROJAN OAR OOUPLER COMPANY, OF TROY, NEV YORK.

DRAW-BAR PLATFORM 4FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,891, dated December 7, 1897.

Application led J' une 2l, 1 8 9 7.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. MCKEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easton, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draw-Bar Platforms for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to extension-platforms for railway-cars; and my improvement consists in the combination, with aplatform and the draw-bar of a car, of devices fully set forth hereinafter for centering the draw-bar and for projecting the buffer-head of the platform forward on one side or the other as the Vdrawbar is swung to one side or the other, as fullyv set forth hereinafter, andas illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan' view of sufficient of the framework of the platform of a railway-car and of the draw-bar and attachments to illustrate my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end View of the parts shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a modification. Fig. 6 is a plan' view illustrating another modification.

The platform A may be of anysuitable construction and,--as shown, consists of beams at the end of the car-body, the cross-beams 1 2 3 4 being connected with the longitudinal beams 5 5.

Below the platform A is the draw-bar B, provided at the front end with a coupler-head O of any ordinary or 'suitableconstruction.

It is important in order that the couplers may couple properly when the cars are brought together that they shall be maintained normally each in a central position in respect to the platform, and to eect this result I combine with each draw-bar certain spring devices and flexible connections between the springs and the draw-bar and so arrange the same that when there is any stress or draft upon the bar carrying it from a central position the said springs will on removal of the stress bring it again to a central position, While at the same time there is no impediment to the proper swinging of the drawbar laterally under the draft of the connected Serial No. 641,639. (No model.)

couplers whenever required. The spring device land connections may be'arranged in different ways to secure this result. For instance, as shown in Fig. 6, where there is no buffer-head, there are two springs D D, each bearing against the closed end of a tube K, secured in a stationary position to the framework. An eyebolt 18 passes through each spring, and to the eye thereof is connected a chain or cable l9,which passes around a guidesheave 2O to the draw-bar B and is connected thereto directly or indirectly at or near the forward'end. Itwill be seen that as thus arranged the draft upon each spring equalizes the other when the draw-bar is in a central position, but if the draw-bar is swung to one side the eXtra stress made upon one spring will tend to restore the draw-bar to its central position as soon as the force tending to deiiect it is removed.

The control devices connected with the draw-bar may also be used in connection with that class of platforms where there are buffer-heads, and in such case the said control devices may also be the means of maintaining the buffer-heads of coupled cars in close contact not only during travel upon straight roads, but in turning curves. Such an arrangement is shown in the remaining figures of the drawings, where the draw-bar B rests upon a curved rail or yoke 7, hung beneath thel beam 1; or a Hat spring 8, eX-

tending from a collar 39 upon the draw-bar,

may bear with its end upon the said yoke 7 and maintain the draw-bar above and free from contact therewith, permitting a limited amount of vertical vibration of the bar. At the rearend a rod 9, extending from the drawbar, is provided with collars bearing upon springs arranged within a box D, as usual. The box D', however, instead of being stationary, as usual,'is suspended from a link 10, pivoted at its rear end to a vertical bolt 12 and having a lip 13 at its forward end bearing upon a rail 14, whereby the link 10 and the draw-bar, with the coupler-head, are supported pivotally in line and two couplers of connected cars can take proper relative positions in rounding curves.

The buffer-beam E has a face-plate 22 and a threshold or foot-plate 23, which extend IOO beneath the fixed foot-plate 24 of the platform, as usual. The buffer-beam is supported at or adjacent to each end by a sliding rod 25, which passes through a bearing 2G in the end beam 1,which may be straight, curved, or with inclined faces, as shown. The rod is pivotally connected to the buffer-beam, so that the latter can assume any desired angle to the beam 1 as may be necessary for the bufferbeams of connected cars to maintain their contact when the cars are rounding curves. Each rod 25 ext-ends into a tubular slide G, guided in brackets 27 28, supported by the cross-beams, with the equalizingsprings D surrounding the rod between a collar 34 thereon and the inner end of the tubular slide G. Each chain 19 passes from the draw-bar around the guide-roller 2O and is connected at the rear end to an eyebolt 29, passing through an ear of the tubular slide G and provided with nuts for taking up slack. It will be seen that as the draw-bar swings to either side a draft will be exerted upon the opposite chain 19, tending to carry outward that end of the buffer-head E, the spring D yielding if there is a greater movement of one part than another, while maintaining the chain taut which is drawn upon and exerting a constant tension to carry the draw-bar to the center, and when the pressure against the end of the butfer-head that is pushed in is removed the spring tends to throw the same outward, the two springs together acting to preserve the buffer-head in a line parallel with the line of the end beam 1 and also to center the draw-bar, as before described.

To prevent the buiferhead from being thrust outward to too great an extent, or beyond the proper limit when the cars are uncoupled, or at the uncoupled end of a car, I provide suitable limiting-stop devices. For instance, an eyebolt 30, connected by a chain 3l with the center of the buffer-head, passes through an opening' in the front beam and through a coiled spring 32, and is provided at its end with a washer and nut 33, so that the coiled spring will tend to carry back the buffer-head, and when the latter is thrust forward sufficiently to bring the ends of the spring 32 in contact it will act as a positive limit-stop. When two buffer-heads are in contact, the chains 31 are slack. Each spring may be connected with a collar 39 on the draw-bar or maybe connected directly with the draw-bar.

Vthile I have referred to the two side springs D D in the construction of Figs. 1 to 4 and prefer this arrangement, it will be evident that the ends of the chains 19 may be directly connected to the ends of the rods 25, and the spring-actuating means might act upon the collar 39 in such case, the collar sliding upon the draw-bar, the spring being back of the collar. Thus, as shown in Fig. 5, each rod 25 is connected to the chain 19, which is attached to the draw-bar and to a collar 39,

sliding on the draw-bar and bearing on a spring D2 between the collar and one of thel draw-bar, of chains or cables extending laterally at each side from the draw-bar, and spring-actuated devices arranged to insure a greater draft upon one chain when the drawbar is swung to the opposite side, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car-platform, of a buffer-head, spring-bearings for the opposite ends of the buffer-head, a laterallyanovable draw-bar, and connections between the draw-bar and the spring-bearings whereby when the draw-bar is swung laterally to one side or the other the spring-bearing at one end of the buffer-head is put under tension to project said end of the buffer-head in advance of the other, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a car platform, draw-bar, springs and chains extending from opposite sides of the draw-bar and connected with said springs and guide-pulleys for said chains, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the platform and draw-bar of a car, buffer-head, rods extending to the buffer-head at each end, and chains extending from the draw-bar to the inner ends of the rods, and spring-actuated devices arranged to normally exert an equal and constant draft upon the chains, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a platform, drawbar, buffer-head, rods 25, slides G, springs between the slides, and bearings on the rods, and chains extending from the draw-bar to the slides, substantially as described.

G. The combination with the buffer-head, of the rod 30 connected therewith, and a spring, and a bearing on the rod for the end of the spring, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a carplatform, of a yoke beneath thev same, a draw-bar projecting through the yoke and laterally movable therein, centeringdevices for the drawbar and yielding means interposed between the draw-bar and yoke and movable with the draw-bar whereby vertical vibration of the draw-bar within the yoke is permitted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY M. WARD, FLORENCE L. GRAY.

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